I just got a veiled chameleon. How do I tell its age and sex?

If they are less than a year old, it is difficult to reliably determine sex. Males will be more streamlined than females and, during breeding season, will develop white "dots" (tubercles) on the gill covers. Their vents will also be smaller and more oval shaped. Females will have larger, deeper bodies (for carrying eggs) and their vents will be rounder and more pronounced.

If they are at least 12 months of age, you can determine gender by looking at the color of the cere (nose). In males, the cere is a blue color. In females, it is tan/brown. If they are younger, you will need to wait or you can have them sexed by DNA using blood or feather samples.

Hi. It’s really impossible to accurately age reptiles. We can guess that they are juvenile, sub adult, or adult based on size, but this is not terribly accurate. Since reptiles are ecototherms and their metabolic rate is related to their environment, nutrition and temperature affect growth. Therefore, reptiles don’t grow based on chronological age, but rather based on the appropriateness of their previous husbandry. So we can see 2 reptiles of the exact chronological age have very different body sizes if one is fed and housed under one set of parameters compared to the other. Your best bet would be to have a new pet wellness exam done by your veterinarian who can maybe give you an educated guess. Good luck and enjoy your new pet!

Hi, Chicko may be a male, but since he’s so young, his light orange cheek teaches may need time to brighten as he reached sexual maturity. However, the solid vs batted tail feathers you refer to is also an accurate way to tell the difference. However, I would need to see the underside of the tail feathers (not the top). If the the underside is speckled or barred, then Chicko would be female, if feathers are solid then should be male. The cheek patches should brighten in time with maturity. I hope this helps!

Ocean is too young yet to be visually sexed. You will need to wait until he or she is at least 12 months old. There are still bars (stripes) on the top of the head and the iris ring is very faint. It will take at lest 6 more months, maybe 8, before you can determine sex visually. You have the option of having a DNA sex test done. Your vet can submit feather and/or blood samples for this test.

Hello, thank you for using Pet Coach. Sexing them is not hard. I suggest you refer to this article. It goes into more detail then I have room for here on this forum. ( http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Breeding-Lizards/Sexing-Leopard-Geckos/ ) Hope this helps. Best wishes!

Thanks for reaching out. Love birds are not sexually dimorphic (can't determine sex by appearances). Palpation of the ventral pubis can sometimes give a clue as sex. Blood sexing is available through most veterinarians who see birds. Sexually mature females during breeding mode, will often tear up paper and place in their wings, a quirky female lovebird thing. Good luck.